Chapter 235
[ 521 words ]
Chapter 235:
For days, Ethan had been coming home early, and every time I asked about the company or the pack, he brushed it off with reassurances. He had been carrying all that weight alone, the expectations, the pressure, the scrutiny of his family and the Elders.
“Are you finished?” I asked, forcing the panic from my voice and speaking with icy calm. “As long as Ethan doesn’t let go, I’ll remain Luna of the Thorn Pack. You’d better focus on your own lawsuit before worrying about me.”
“You won’t be talking tough forever. We’ll see about that!” Nancy hung up in a fury.
Lianne’s POV
As evening settled in, the fading sunlight was quickly swallowed by thick clouds, and darkness crept over the yard.
I leaned against the headboard, lost in my own thoughts, when the sudden roar of a car engine echoed urgently from outside.
𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺
A chill ran through me. I tried to swing my legs out of bed, but the doctor’s strict orders for bed rest held me back. I forced myself to stay and called toward the door, “Who’s there?”
Before anyone could answer, the sound of familiar, measured footsteps approached along the hallway.
Ethan appeared in the doorway, still wearing his dark gray suit, his tie slightly loosened, and weariness carved deep into his expression.
“Why are you home so early?” I asked, surprise threading my voice.
“The pack council meeting wrapped up sooner than expected,” he replied, removing his coat and hanging it neatly on the rack before settling beside me on the bed.
An uneasy weight pressed on my chest. Nancy’s words from the phone still lingered, prompting me to ask, “Did something happen with the pack? Are the Elders giving you trouble? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ethan studied my worried expression, the corners of his lips twitching upward, a fleeting spark of amusement lighting his eyes. “Lianne, are you worried about me?”
I turned my face away, awkward and flustered. “I just don’t want you to lose your position as Alpha because of me.”
“If I were no longer Alpha of the Thorn Pack, would you still want me?” He leaned forward suddenly, bracing his hands on either side of my body, his eyes locked on mine.
In that instant, his gaze carried a delicate, almost fragile longing, as if he needed me desperately.
My heart skipped a beat, that familiar flutter threatening to make me give in.
But I forced myself to pull back, shaking it off.
He was the one who had suggested ending our relationship. He had pushed me away time and again for Ivy. And now, with his sudden tenderness, I couldn’t tell if it came from love for me, or for the child I carried.
“This isn’t about your Alpha status,” I murmured, lowering my eyes, my tone sharpening. “I’ve already decided. When the baby comes, we’ll go our separate ways.”
Ethan froze. Then he leaned down, pressing his forehead gently against my still-flat belly, as if it were a fragile, priceless treasure.
I had pictured this countless times in dreams, my mate, quietly listening to our unborn child’s heartbeat, anticipation shining in his eyes. But the reality carried only bitter irony.
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